SASKATOON — The city’s firefighter union is calling on the provincial government to step up in providing more resources to combat the ongoing overdose crisis and maintain emergency response capacity, which has reached alarming levels and is stretching first responders to the limit.
Data showed that the Saskatoon Fire Department responded to 680 overdose incidents in April, a 288 per cent increase from the same month last year, or an average of 23 per day, and peaked at 56 in 24 hours. May’s numbers went down to 540.
International Association of Fire Fighters Local 80 president Jay Protz, who was joined by mental health and addictions shadow minister Leroy Laliberte and two colleagues at a media event on Wednesday, June 17, said the city’s first responders have faced unprecedented pressure driven by overdose calls.
“The reality is simple. Demand for service has significantly increased, but staffing levels, resources and funding have not kept pace,” said Protz, who leads the more than 320 firefighters, fire inspectors and primary care paramedics serving the city.
“Saskatoon firefighters will continue to shoulder the burden with dedication, with resources available, but there comes a point where dedication alone cannot compensate for a lack of investments from our province.”
He added that every response by Saskatoon’s firefighter-paramedics, whether for an overdose, a medical emergency or a fire call, requires trained personnel who are ready to act to meet the needs of the city’s residents.
Although the City of Saskatoon provides funding for the SFD, Protz said it won’t hurt if the province also helps out, just as it does for the Saskatoon Police Service, which receives municipal grants to expand its force, purchase equipment and support other community safety initiatives.
“What we're looking for is for the province to help out. They've helped out in the past. Keeping engines in commission with staffing, and so we're asking the province to come back to the table and help us out with that,” added Protz.
Laliberte, the MLA for Athabasca, said the situation is overwhelming for frontline workers, including emergency personnel in hospitals, and accused the provincial government of failing to provide the support they need to address it and keep pace with the number of incidents.
“Saskatchewan is seeing a massive increase in emergency responses related to overdoses. The workers on the front lines are doing more than they should reasonably be expected to do, but they can’t keep up with the crisis that continues to grow,” said Laliberte.
“Our hospitals are overrun. Our emergency rooms are over capacity. People are being left waiting in hallways. These frontline workers do their jobs, but they’re overworked, they’re tired, and they’re going above and beyond what their actual position is.”
Provincial and city governments respond
The Health Ministry said they are concerned about the number of overdose cases in Saskatoon and across the province, and the impact it brings to individuals, families and communities, and they are closely monitoring the situation to find a solution to the issue.
“We know that overdose deaths have increased across North America; to combat this, the Government of Saskatchewan introduced a multi-year Action Plan for Mental Health and Addictions,” said the Health Ministry in a statement sent to SaskToday.
“Since the introduction of that plan, annual overdose deaths in Saskatchewan have decreased by 26 per cent. While this decline is encouraging, there are still far too many Saskatchewan lives being lost to overdose.”
The government added that they will continue to invest in programs that support individuals struggling with addictions to live healthy lives in recovery, under the Action Plan for Mental Health and Addictions, which is focused on getting more people treatment and overcoming their addictions.
The government added that they aim for people recovering from their addictions to maintain a healthy and safe lifestyle, while also prioritizing reducing wait times for addiction services, which included adding 500 addiction treatment spaces across the province. They also reminded residents to call 911 immediately if they suspect someone is overdosing.
Currently, 370 of the 500 new spaces are available to Saskatchewan residents, including 17 inpatient family treatment spaces, including up to 43 spaces for children at The Carter House in Saskatoon; 32 intensive outpatient treatment spaces at Possibilities Recovery Centre in Saskatoon; 40 mobile withdrawal management spaces with Medavie Health Services West in Saskatoon and 42 virtual intensive outpatient spaces through EHN Canada.
The government, aside from the ongoing expansion of addiction treatment services, has also invested in a Rapid Access to Addictions Medicine Clinic and launched an Overdose Outreach Team in Saskatoon, and expanded our Take Home Naloxone Kit Program.
They also launched a province-wide Drug Alerts program, alerting subscribers to concerns about the toxicity of drugs, increases in overdoses, or increases in fatalities in a community via email, text (SMS) or through the Alertable App.
“The Government of Saskatchewan continues to develop new approaches to address this issue and recently passed The Compassionate Intervention Act as a new tool to provide care to individuals who are unable to seek help on their own because of their addiction,” the statement ended.
SFD Fire Chief Doug Wegren, meanwhile, said their department responded to fewer overdose calls in May than in April 2026, despite the latter’s numbers exceeding the spike that was seen in March 2025. The current situation differs in several important ways.
“In March 2025, firefighters were managing a high volume of patient transports to the hospital, prompting a request for support from the Provincial Emergency Operations Centre,” said Wegren, in a statement sent to local journalists.
“SFD’s Primary Care Paramedics continue to respond to and treat overdose patients, and the department is closely monitoring the situation in collaboration with health-care partners. At this time, there has been no need to request activation of the Provincial Emergency Operations Centre.”
Wegren, however, added that a specific combination of drugs reduced the effectiveness of Naloxone, requiring frequent advanced interventions such as CPR, assisted breathing with oxygen, and multiple doses of Naloxone.
“In contrast, Naloxone is currently effective and widely available to the public, which has contributed to a reduction in firefighter-assisted transports to the hospital for overdoses,” he said.
